Hello Friends,

I have a 2004 BMW E60 (06/04 build date, with the Navi package) which had perfectly working bluetooth. A few months ago I had my battery changed at the local BMW dealer (of course with BMW approved mechanics installing an original OEM battery). After I got the new battery installed, my bluetooth stopped working... sort of.

My phone still pairs to iDrive (most of the time), and I can hear people (most of the time), but people cannot hear me. The people I call only hear a very loud buzzing noise, no matter how loud I yell. I have paired four different brands of phones all with the same result, ruling out a phone issue.

Can anyone please share their ideas on how my bluetooth could have possibly broke when BMW changed the battery? My car is out of warranty, and I feel BMW should cover this repair since the problem started right after they replaced my battery.

Any thoughts are very much appreciated! Thank you.

 

Not sure that anything done in the straight out replacement of a battery could cause your phone problem. I suspect you have an electrical ground situation or even a phone firmware update needed.

 

try another phone first, to see if its a phone issue.

 

He said he tried 4 different phones already...

 

 

maybe pull the fuse or disconnect the battery again to see if it resets??
does the voice activation button on the steering wheel work? just to see if the mic is ok.

 

In theory there's no way the Bluetooth problem you describe could have been caused by changing the battery.....but the Bluetooth module is the in boot (trunk) under the boot floor and so is the battery. On the E61 they're not that close, but on the E60 I think they could be on the same side. I suspect that the electrical connector could have been knocked and just needs re-seating.

 

I have an update on this effort (I am the original poster).

I took the car to a BMW dealership and initially they agreed to diagnose the problem at no cost (even gave me a BMW loaner). In a day I get my car back, they updated the CIP software (I was at version 19.xx.xx) to the point where my iDrive background looks slightly different, but the bluetooth problem is still not fixed (same exact issue as when I brought it in). I bring the car back and on the second visit they diagnose the problem as a faulty TCU (Telematics Control Unit) by diagnostics code (which I guess they didn't do the first time around. They offer to replace it and change me only for the part, not the labor/programming. They wanted over $600 for just the part (the TCU is re-manufactured, mind you, not new). I called around to other dealers and asked their price, and Circle BMW in NJ offered it for under $400. I get back in touch with my dealer and tell them that a competing dealer is offering it for $250 less and my dealer honors the Circle BMW price. In the end, my dealer did not either confirm nor deny that the bluetooth issue is related to them changing my battery, but I feel my dealer did the best they could by matching the lower TCU price and not charging me for labor/programming. Oh and I did end up with what seems to be updated CIP software in my E60, overall I am a happy customer.

People are often quick to bash dealerships, but if you do your homework and research they will often accommodate you. They may not admit any fault or liability, but they often will do their best to make you happy, even if your car is way out of any warranty.

 

good to hear

 

You could have bought my TCU thas for sale in the classifieds for $150